Budget may not be taxpayer-friendly

Expectations are running high for the Budget 2010 to do many things -- maintain growth, provide employment, reduce fiscal deficit, take steps to shift to the new Direct Taxes Code, take measures to implement Goods and Services Tax, reduce inflation and increase revenue for the government.

All this has to be done with the idea of being popular enough to have voters on the government's side. It's a tall order and Finance Minster Pranab Mukherjee has a job that very few will envy.